Midday
by JtheGildedSword
Summary: After two months, Amaterasu, Josh, Issun, and Gage are ready to continue on their adventure. But, even they know- the shadow disappears in the Midday. Rated T for violence. AmaterasuxOC Enjoy!
1. It's Time!

My eyes fluttered open, a smile wide across my face. It was time. My great friend and present-day girlfriend Amaterasu and I had taken off on an adventure three months ago. Our job- which consisted of protecting Nippon of monsters- took a turn for the worst when a powerful being made itself apparent to us- and he immediately managed to steal the brush powers from Amaterasu. We made it a personal mission to get them all back and beat the being, which we soon found to be a Yami incarnate.

We went through Amaterasu's previous adventure, laughing, having fun, growing stronger. And as time went on, our bond grew. We began on our path to victory as we began to destroy the demons that plagued the face of Nippon. It soon ended with Orochi falling before our feet, with the assistance of a rogue imp named Gage, and Amaterasu's previous partner Issun. We came back to Kamiki, where we rested for two months.

I stood up, looking around the dim room. Amaterasu, who was curled up next to me, stirred. I stopped dead in my tracks, trying not to wake her. She settled back down- Issun was in her fur as well. Gage sat with his staff in his hand, sleeping against the wall. Every member of my team, we'd grown so close. It was almost like it was destined for us to be thrown together.

Today, our adventure continued. I'll admit, I'm one for memories, and symbolism. So, I snuck out the front door and walked my way slowly to the top of Kamiki Village's mountain. I reached the top of it, and I watched slowly as the sun rose over the horizon. "It's the sunrise." I said to myself, reminding myself of how beautiful the world was.

"Beautiful, huh?" I heard a voice behind me- startled, I turned around, looking upon the most beautiful girl in the world. It was _my_ Amaterasu. The one that had started with me on an adventure, the one that took me in when I was abandoned, the one that stuck with me the entire way.

"Almost as beautiful as you." I said, smirking. She replied with a roll of her eyes and a playful smile. She walked over and sat next to me, looking at the sun as well.

"Do you get any less cheesy?" She asked. I looked at her, yet her gaze was still fixed on the horizon.

"It's not cheesy when it's a fact." I said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. I watched her entire face flush red, the smile on her face growing. "So, what's on your mind? I know something's up." I said, looking at her again.

"Are you ready to continue?" She asked, her smile fading.

"Of course. The faster we can wipe Yami out, the better." Her smile didn't return. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just… It's almost impossible to think that we need to continue again. It seems like the last two months went too fast. Are we doing the right thing?" She immediately began to justify herself. "I mean, it's for the greater good… but… we have to die…"

Oh… did I forget to mention that? Yeah, prophecy says that Amaterasu and I wouldn't make it out of the final battle alive.

"I know. But I know that we will only be replaced by the best. Trust me."

"Will we get to be together?" She asked, her gaze _still_ focused on the sun.

"Of course. Now, come on. We need to get Gage and Issun." She stood up, and we walked silently back to my house. We opened the door, and Gage already had breakfast cooking.

"There you two lovebirds are! I was up, so I made you guys some breakfast. Oh, and I thought I'd let you guys know, as a reverence to old times, I got you two something. He pulled two Holy Bones out from behind its back. He threw them in our direction- and I, in perfect fashion, leaped towards it, captured it, and began to go to town.

"Aw, thanks Gage! It means a lot." Amaterasu said before digging into hers.

"Thanks, bro. 'Preciate it." I said, having to TRY to pull away from it if only for a moment.

"Is everyone ready to get moving?" Issun asked. "Oh, I'm so excited! Furball, Dusty, Gage and I, all out on the trail again! Kicking baddie butt!"

"Hold on Issun. We're not even packed yet." Gage said, smiling. He pulled out his staff. "In the meantime- considering I AM packed- I'm going to train."

"Have a fun time, bro." I said, my teeth still focused on the bone. I decided I would save some for later, packing it in the knapsack that we were bringing along. Blankets, spare food, a coin purse, Issun's scrolls and brushes, some memoirs of Kamiki, and finally, spare clothes for Gage- we were packed.

We spent about a half-hour training as well. Amaterasu and I, dodging, tackling, but not trying to kill each other. With each maneuver, my mind became more and more sharp- back to its previous state. Even Issun managed to use Denkomaru (his sword) to slash through a scarecrow- _that's _ impressive. Then, we spent an hour reminiscing. Our past adventures, all the way back to our past.

I was the only one who didn't speak- for me, it was still too painful to relive. We went back to the house at 11:30. We made sure we were all packed, said goodbye to all the villagers, and began to the Shinshu Field.

We stood at the border between Kamiki, and Shinshu. "Are you guys ready?" Gage asked, his arms crossed.

We all replied positively- and within seconds, we had the entire village cheering behind us. "Looks like it's time." I said, smiling. We took the steps into Shinshu field, and we watched the entire field open in front of us.

We stepped out, feeling the fresh air, beholding the beauty that was Shinshu Field. Even two months later, it was as beautiful as ever. As our entire team exchanged looks. I smiled. "Everyone," I started. "Welcome to Shinshu Field, round two."


	2. Sidequest Annoyance

**Man, I get lazier all the time...**

**Josh: You said it, not me.**

**Amaterasu: I've been waiting for Chapter 2 for a while. **

**I've decided. I'm going to upload at my own pace. No more schedules.**

**Josh: What's that gonna help?**

**...I'll explain it in a moment. For now, enjoy the story!**

* * *

"So, we're finally heading to the city!" Issun screamed, a smile spreading across his face. "Ah… I swear, that's where I belong. The bustling city, sounds, lights…"

"We haven't even made it to the checkpoint yet, Issun." I said, annoyed with his over-the-top enthusiasm. "You need to simmer down." There was a brief moment of silence-an awkward one, at that.

"Are we there ye-"

"We're not starting this." I replied instantly in an attempt to extinguish the game Issun was attempting to play.

"Anyways, where are we setting up camp?" Gage asked, leaning on his staff in exhaustion. "My legs aren't used to walking so far in such a short time yet." We all exchanged glances.

"It wouldn't hurt to stop and rest, guys. How about it?" It would have been an obvious decision. Everyone wanted to rest- that is; everyone wanted to rest with the exception of Issun. He complained about how we were only stalling, and the sooner we get there the better.

"Maybe so. Or, we could just be stalling to try to get to you." Amaterasu said playfully. "Who knows. Anyways, night guys!" We bid our good nights to each other and laid down on the ground. Sheesh- it'd been a while since I laid on this kind of ground, huh?

Having a nice home with a balanced temperature and comfortable beds doesn't exactly prepare you for any kind of camping, that's for sure. Anyways, it was time to sleep. My eyes slowly drifted closed, my mind being clouded with the ambitions of a new adventure.

The next morning, we were woken up by a very enthusiastic Issun. "Come on guys, get the lead out! We need to get moving. Evil never rests, you know!" We all stretched out and got prepared to get moving once again. Issun jumped and burrowed into my fur.

"Ah…" Issun started, getting comfortable. "Honestly, I forgot how nice the open air was. Kamiki's nice and all, but it doesn't have the same appeal." Issun went on about what I assumed to be nothing important, and we continued on our way.

We made our way through Agata Forest much too slowly compared to the four or five times we'd been through it prior... We would have made it through quicker, if we weren't interrupted halfway through.

"Hello! Can I ask for your help?" A deer asked, trotting up to us. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but I seem to have forgotten where I was storing my food for the winter. My family and I truly need it."

"Winter already, huh… Seems like just a month ago it was summer. Where does the time go…?" Amaterasu asked, shaking her head.

"Out the window if we don't get moving! I'm sorry ma'am, but we can't…" She looked at me sadly, practically forcing me to rethink. "…We… can't leave someone without helping them. So we need to hurry!"

Luckily, we had the whole wolf thing going for us. You know, super sense of smell. Strangely enough though, we couldn't exactly locate the food. "Amaterasu, you got anything?" I asked, yelling down the slope.

"Nothing yet!" She replied, her nose still hard at work. I slowly crawled along, my nose sniffing everywhere. High and low, above and below… still nothing.

"Do you have ANY lead we can go off of, miss?" I asked the deer. "We really need to hurry."

"Yes… I remember it was towards the entrance of the forest… next to… what was it next to?" She asked herself, frustrated.

"It's okay, ma'am. We'll start searching. You keep trying to remember." I ran towards the entrance after alerting Amaterasu, and I could finally smell the scent. I kept my nose to the ground… I smelled a lot of plants, and seeds.

"Hey, Josh. Do you smell that too?" Amaterasu asked, looking in my general direction. I nodded with confidence- and it wasn't long before Amaterasu and I were digging. We found the stash within two hours of entering the forest.

"Here you are, ma'am." I said, leading her over to the hole. "This must be your stash, correct?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Don't worry about a reward. Oh, well- evil never rests! Goodbye!" I yelled, running full speed away.

We stopped by the exit to the forest and met Gage and Issun. "Sure took you guys long enough…" Issun said, infuriated. "We've been waiting for TWO hours. Do you understand how-"

"Issun. Shut up." Gage said, bringing the conversation to an abrupt end. "Anyways… did you finish your business here?" We nodded with a smile. "Then let's continue!" Gage said, spinning his staff idly.

We'd walked for about an hour before we reached the City Checkpoint- and even then, there were difficulties. "Sorry. The town's still all convinced that we're possessed by demons. Only way to lower that bridge right there is to light that torch on the other side."

"I've got it." I said, leaning forward. "Fire an arrow." The man reached into his quiver and drew an arrow. He strung it, and looked over at me. "Fire it towards that torch."

"Whatever you say…" He muttered, letting the arrow fly off of the string. My mind was quick at work as I entered the workshop, the arrow stopping in mid-flight. I spun around at an angle, my tail making a direct line from the sun to his arrow.

"And… voila." I said, exiting the workshop as suddenly as I'd entered it. His arrow lit on fire, and crashed right into the torch. The signal fire was lit. Within two minutes, the bridge had been lowered. "No problem." I said as the guard extended his thanks.

"On to the city!" Issun screamed, jumping all around. "Man, I've been waiting too long for this. I bet I could get a pretty interesting painting too!" We traveled onwards, Issun still gushing about the adventures he was going to have.

Meanwhile, we continued on our way towards the city. It wasn't tough travel either. It was about a three-minute walk until we reached the first step on the second part of our journey.

"Gentlemen," Amaterasu started. "Welcome to the Ryoshima Coast."

* * *

**Josh: Yay! Progress!**

**Amaterasu: In my opinion, one of the best songs on our adventure.**

**Wait, what?**

**Amaterasu: Nothing, nothing. So, you said you wanted to explain why you have no schedule?**

**I've realized that when I'm pressured, I get less done. And that doesn't help anybody.**

**Josh: Anyways, join us next time when we travel through Ryoshima Coast!**

**I hope you enjoyed! Leave a review, it helps me out as a writer. Also, you can follow me on Twitter ( JtheGildedSword)! See you guys in the next one!**


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